Writing with AI: use it as a research partner and a first-draft engine, not as a voice. The two failure modes are surrendering voice (all your writing sounds like ChatGPT) and rejecting the tool entirely (missing real productivity gains). The productive middle is disciplined.
- 01State the productive division of labor.
- 02Recognize the 'AI voice' pattern in your own output.
- 03Design a review pass that preserves your voice.
The division
AI for: research summaries, alternative phrasings when you're stuck, first drafts of structured sections (executive summaries, meeting notes), grammar and clarity edits. You for: the argument, the voice, the judgment about what belongs and what does not.
Preserving voice
AI-first drafts are seductive because they read well immediately. Left unrevised, they homogenize toward a generic professional register. The discipline: read every AI-drafted sentence out loud. If it does not sound like you, rewrite it. Voice is why your writing matters.
- AI drafts fast, produces bland; you slow the process and add voice.
- Read aloud is the fastest voice-detector.